After losing his first fight in the UFC, the Russian has gone on to win seven fights in a row. According to many, he is the next big thing in the division, and a win over Santos will only make his case stronger. A strong showing against a former title challenger will put him right in the mix for a title shot.
Do you think Marlon Moraes will snap his losing streak? Let us know in the comments! Chris Daukaus. Enjoyed reading this article? Download our exclusive app to get 24x7 coverage, latest memes and social media banter. Click here to download. First and foremost, the production surpasses that of it's predecessor, Vapor Trails, by leaps and bounds.
Very crisp and razor sharp, Snakes And Arrows is sonically one of the better albums I've heard The only thing that I can live without, which has been a staple in Rush's music for quite some time, is the layering of Geddy's vocals to the extent that it sounds like a choir of Geddies. I would prefer to see that toned back a bit. As for the songs, these are some of Rush's best in a long time. I see these as less introspective as Vapor Trails, and more of a social and global commentary, in regards to the lyrics.
Structurally, Lifeson is back and he's back with a vengence! I miss his solos on Vapor Trails, and he pulls off some true magic on this disc The solo on "The Larger Bowl" is exquisite. Absolutely beautiful work on "Armor and Sword", especially.
He is one of those rare guitarists that adds such subtle nuances to a song, but without these little ambient sounds would be a detrament to the song.
Additionally, it's nice to hear a lot of acoustic guitar throughout. As for the other two, Peart seems to have backed off of some of the flashy fills and intricate patterns--I would like to see him let loose more often. Maybe it's the sign of a true master concentrating on telling a story with his playing rather than showing how fast he can move about the kit.
Geddy still astounds on the bass; however, his vocals are very smooth and as powerful as ever. I can actually hear flashes of the higher octaves from his younger days on songs like "Spindrift" the beginning sounds like something from and "Bravest Face". I would like to conclude by stating that I've seen a lot of positive feedback for Snakes and Arrows. Unfortunately, I've seen a lot of negative remarks.
I'm not sure what you guys want or are expecting, but this is an always altering band not content to remaining still. What we have in this new disc are 3 of the most amazing musicians coming together and creating sounds that challenge and stimulate. In my opinion, I think this is the best Rush album since Power Windows. I'd give it 4. The theme of the album revolves around Peart's musings about the nature of "faith" - a subject he visited in his book "Landscape..
I dont know and I dont care. Many of the songs follow a very standard intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus pattern, though there are 3 instrumentals on here, but certainly musically and lyrically this is a complex, arty and I might add fresh album from a band now in its 4th decade together. The three instrumentals are very accomplished but each different in their own way. The album is worth the price just for the three instrumentals but you get songs for your money too!
The album kicks off at break-neck speed with "Far Cry", the track with the almost legendary "Hemispheres" chord. This track reminds me of a modern rockier version of "Spirit Of Radio" and it is instantly noticeable that Alex Lifeson has decided to stamp his authority all over the album.
Acoustic guitar can be heard on nearly every track. Fans of Peart's book "Travelling Music" will be delighted that "Workin' Them Angels" has made it onto an album and is done fitting justice.
The band as an ensemble is at top form but as I alluded earlier it is Alex Lifeson who takes the plaudits on this one.
Always under-rated or under-valued? So where does it fit into the Rush pantheon for this fan of over 30 years? I have to say that I was initially underwhelmed, but I should have remembered that quite often the best albums have to be given time to "breathe" and it isnt until after 5 or 6 plays that they start to show their true worth. I've played this over 20 times now and I can confidently declare that this is Rush's best album for over 25 years.
If complexity and virtuosity are the two defining attributes of Prog Rock then this is indeed a Prog Rock album. Regardless of those considerations this is a damn fine rock album.
The first thing I noticed during my first listening session was the connection between the cover art, the climates in the music and the lyrics: the 'snake' and 'arrow' are archetypes for the elements 'fear' and 'agression', the lion's share of the lyrics tell about an ominous and cruel world in which we feel unsafe and unhappy and the dark and melancholical atmospheres in the songs match with the archetypes on the cover art.
And I think Rush has evaluted their musical direction after the many negative reactions about the poor previous CD Vapor Trails: in my opinion the three musicians has done their best to make powerful and varied compositions, I cannot trace one weak song on this CD although a few songs are no more or less than tastefully arranged melodic rock songs featuring a pleasant integration of instruments like the Mellotron, Greek bouzouki and mandolin.
But quite a lot tracks sound captivating and dynamic like the opener Far Cry fluent and propulsive with fiery, distorted guitar, an adventurous rhythm-section and some 'Hemispheres echoes' , Armor And Sword great tension between the acoustic and electric parts and a biting guitar solo in the compelling climax and the instrumentals The Main Monkey Business exciting and alternating with awesome interplay , Hope warm acoustic guitar as a tribute to Jimmy Page and the too short Malignant Narcissus sensational and propulsive, it reminds me a bit of YYZ.
After a few listening sessions I have concluded that Rush revenged themselves after the disappointing album Vapor Trails and even the Rush fans who are not pleased with the 'new Rush' since Counterparts will enjoy at least half of this CD.
But don't expect a Hemispheres Part Two or something like that! From an objective point of view this album deserves four stars, personally I go for 3,5 stars. Enter new producer and long-time fan of the band, Nick Razckulinek given the guy's name, I hope you'll excuse me if it's not typed correctly!!!
This guy saw Rush for the first time when he was 11 years old, and somehow it shows. This may very well be the best sounding Rush album in a long, very long time, if not ever. He had a fan's point of view of how Rush should sound, and that's what he offered us.
And to say that this acts as a relief after the musically exhilarating but atrociously sounding 'Vapor Trails' is an understatement. Great syncopated intro that ends with the 'Hemispheres' chord cool! Nice verse, very catchy chorus, both musically and melodically. Quite a surprise to hear such a nice sounding acoustic guitar for the verse. Lyrically, the song deals with how the beliefs we inherit as children armor can become a weapon sword.
Great lyrics for a great song. At first I didn't like the song very much, but Alex's beautiful guitars and that lovely infectious chorus redeemed it.
Based around Neil's lyrics written in a pantoum a clever alternance of repeating sentences in a different order to eventually return to the original order , the song reminds me of 'Anagram' and 'Hand Over Fist' from Presto, just a bit better.
A forgettable song. Dark patterns and interesting melodies and rythms. In the vein of 'Far Cry'. And what an instrumental it is. As much as 'Leave that Thing Alone' was great, this is even better. Influences from Porcupine Tree and Tool can be heard here, yet this still sounds like Rush a complete cycle, Rush having influenced both these bands.
A very nice drum intro leaving place to a bluesy Alex Lifeson! The verse sounds a bit like 'Driven' from Test for Echo, and then to a nice acoustice chorus. Love that song. A solo 12 string acoustic number courtesy of Lifeson, and a beautiful one at that. A bit reminiscent of Jimmy Page. And hey, that's a mellotron? Hope they will play this one live. The albums last instrumental, 'Malignant Narcissism', despite being short, is a very intricate song. Neil recorde dit on a four-piece kit while Geddy used a fretless 'Jaco Pastorius' Fender Signature bass.
Primus-esque, incredibly fun to listen to. Snakes and Arrows is an album on which Lifeson shines, from beginning to end. Wonderful acoustic guitars in fact, no other Rush album has had that many acoustic guitars on it , a very rock approach, and still as textural as ever.
Definitely his best album in a while. A very human, touching, beautiful album with a very few weak moments. Just keep in mind that Rush gave up the epics a long time ago, and expecting any here is a mistake. Rush moves forward, not backwards, and that is why they are still valid in this day and age. A solid four stars. When Neil Peart was a young adult, his thoughts were already profound, or at least, his intense sessions of reading made great poetry.
Neil thought like a contemporary young man: the future, science fiction and the fading environnement. Now heading towards his late 50's,Neil talks about his vision of a changing world and he's still very personnal while talking about his lack of faith in religion and the scary world we live in Now, well look at that the punch level, it's heading towards 'beautiful' and less towards 'complexity'.
Artists are aging, their values are evolving and like to take it more slowly, appreciating life and family the important stuff. Alex and Geddy are mixing blue and red again, reserving time to rock far cry and malignant narcissisim , time to be complex the main monkey buisness and time to think fatihless, larger bowl and hope.
Snakes and arrows is not a step backwards to Test For Echo or Presto but a step aside what we know from them. It's an album that demands time to let it grow into you, especially is you're addicted to the Farewell to Moving Pictures period.
There's a time for everything and with this record Not to belabor my obvious adoration for the band, I will sum up to say that this album features some of Neil's best lyrics ever especially for their direct statements, which need to be said , as well as the group's cumulative song-writing.
However, "Snakes and Arrows" is dominated by Geddy, whose vocals and bass playing outperform expectations. There is not a single song which tarnishes the album's stellar play, from start to finish. The album kicks off with "Far Cry," a great look into how the world and society have failed to live up to everyone's expectations. Alex proves he's still the riff-master of prog rock, and Geddy's bassline is great. Still, this song grew on me after hearing it live. Plus, Alex has a great solo on it.
Songs like this one are why Rush are often labelled metal. It has Porcupine Tree and Tool influences, but you can tell that it is a Rush song. The band plays off each other so well it can make fusion groups green with envy.
Everyone gets to display his talent, but no one person dominates the sound. It manages to be technically dazzling yet seem so simple because it never loses it's beat. Rush can do in 6 minutes what so many prog metal bands cannot in Utterly sublime. It's short, but it's a great piece. Live, this came after Neil's drum solo and served to bring the crowd back to Earth. Musically, however, it's mediocre. The final instrumental, "Malignant Narcissism," is a fun piece that has a funky bass part anchored by guitar fills and a groovy performance from Peart.
The album ends with "We Hold On," a terrific closer that counterpoints the bleakness of the album with a positive message that would not have sounded out of place on Vapor Trails.
This album puts Rush on top of the 70s prog bands still plugging away. Whereas so many of their contemporaries have either disbanded or have stayed only to release poor material, Rush prove that a trio of middle-aged Canadians can rock harder than any snot-nosed punk who plays MTV-approved crap.
The choruses here are reminiscent of the bombastic choruses of classics like Freewill. People often criticize how Lifeson had no input in the modern era of Rush, that he had no solos. While he solos less than he did in the 70s,he's never truly faded into the background, and this album should quiet quite a number of complainers.
Lee's multi-layered vocals have never sounded better, and the band as a whole bring restraint to their instruments.
The beautiful thing about Rush's music is how they can change moods, tempos, styles, and every other proggy change on a dime, yet you can never tell until they've already done it. In other words, they move seamlessly within their songs, always changing but never losing the groove and feel. That is why every band in the sub-genre they all but single-handedly inspired prog metal can never hope to match their influence. Even the godly Dream Theater cannot match these guys.
Ultimately, it isn't quite a masterpiece, but I think it will go down as a solid four star Rush classic alongisde Signals, Permanent Waves and A Farewell to Kings. Let me ask you simple question: how do you actually appreciate music in general and prog rock in specific? Do you appreciate the music or the lyrics or combination of both?
If you appreciate more on the music first, how do you actually weigh the lyrics against your overall appreciation which is typically represented by a rating one to five stars? If you appreciate more on lyrics, how do you weigh the music against your overall rating? Tough question, isn't it? Well, that's also the case with me - honestly.
Let me tell you how I actually rate a music note: because I'm more into prog music, I wanna limit this on prog only. First, I try to comprehend the music composition as a whole. I always start from opening track until it finishes its entirely in a particular album. I'm much more inclined to appreciate at album level and not interested to review at song level. The test meter for doing this is "how coherent" the album from track to track.
Is there any discontinuity of style and themes as the music moves along? Spock's Beard latest album is a good example where I say that the album is not quite coherent. There are tracks that discontinue and disrupt the overall theme of the album - in my humblest opinion. Second, I would scrutinize at track by track level to give an individual rating for each track. Track by track rating results add up into overall album rating. I have been very little to give enough attention to lyrics even though in some cases I do like to see from this perspective as well.
Why giving you a long background to review this new album by Rush? Well guys. I got problem here that you might be able to help. I got the CD on a loan basis from a friend of mine, Zulfikar, a die hard fan of the band.
Countless have I spun the CD at my player and, in fact, have ripped it into my iPod. I think it's more than 10 spins on CD plus some others in my iPod, and this is my experience: First off, the music is really excellent and the composition is quite tight from one track to another.
I'm proud with Rush who still can compose good music. Is the album coherent? I would definitely say: YES! From the opening track until the end the album sounds to carry a coherent message which I can feel it without having to understand the lyrics. Once I answer this, I still have something back in my mind which says "Hmm.
Then I move it to the next cycle: scrutinize on track by track basis. I do enjoy doing so and I find there is no bad track at all I think. Some tracks are excellent like "Far Cry" and also all instrumental tracks are excellent. But again, I still find something is missing in this album. Then my colleague Zulfikar gave his thoughts that the lyrics are so powerful - so I did read the sleeve and digested the meanings.
Yes, I do agree with him, the lyrics are so powerful. But for me, it does not help improving my appreciation towards this album. I would say that overall this album does not provide a good combination of ups and downs in the composition so that overall it sounds and it feels so flat. It boils down to the feel that this album does not quite stir my emotion. Overall, this album is good but there is nothing that truly catchy from the music it produces.
In Indonesian language, we have a good expression that I cannot translate sorry! It can mean :"there is something missing" but it's not as powerful sentence as the original Indonesian version. For me personally, this album sounds like a combination of the band's "Signals" and "Power Windows" albums. I leave it up to you to make final call whether or not to purchase the CD.
Keep on proggin'..! I would say this is easily the best Rush album since Counter Parts. This album absolutely deserves to be heard from what has come out this year. The music is very accessible to just about anyone, even if the lyrics arent. Neil's percussion is astounding and actually quite fresh, seems he's got some new inpiration, very south african. Geddy's Bass playing has honestly not been this good in a decade.
In fact what really makes Snakes and Arrows great is the consistency, just like Counterparts, that hold this together as a whole. This really is about the sum of its parts, which come together with great production and musicality. Unfortunately the lyrics are not for everyone, especially for me, and the some of the songs themselves aren't that great.
It's not the best of , but it's up there. The decidedly tireless trio is now back after a three years silence, interrupted only with the cover album Feedback, Rush comes back with their stronger albums over the last two decades at least, but I'm not that familiar with some of their albums and it came at a point when the band seemed more content on living on their own heritage and legend DVD's, live albums, world tours etc..
Fear and angst is exactly what this album is about: Peart's lyrics seem to make a constant theme over the whole album wouldn't call this a concept album, though and Lifeson is the unsung hero and loads the album with acoustic guitars. With a related artwork depicting a gloomy world full of dangers and destructions, until the prophetic and hope- filled end of We Hold On where you see the skies of the futures clearing away , it only serves the themes Starting on the very strong Far Cry almost bringing us back to Waves and its failed expectations message is one of the album's highlights.
The next Armour And Sword follows suit and delivers a message of fanatism used as weapons, but we are more in the Signals realm, musically speaking. While Angels and its follow-up Larger Bowl are both acoustically-driven, they are uneven and present a shallower depth on the album's overall tenure, the later being an obvious reef in the album's smooth sailing.
The album experiences a second wind with the very good but dark Spindrift, which is of the opening Far Cry's stature. By this time, the listener is K-O from the sheer mass of noise and even if Malignant Narcissism is a fiery instrumental, again in the YYZ vein, it comes simply after the overdose set in! The closing We Hold On is another track that could've sat on Pictures or Signals, but it is too late, this listener has hung up!
I can fully agree with my buddy Tony Riviere that this album is certainly Rush's best in the last 25 years and even up to Moving Pictures, but it is a far cry from that landmark as well! I certainly wouldn't call this essential, unless you feel like owning one album per decade from a classic band.
Had this album an epic track on it, it could've even bettered some of their early works. Had this album had three songs less from , it might have been less watered down!! But let's not nitpick, there are some really good moments on this album that can occasionally bring you back to the trio's heyday glories, but this is far from often, though!
A good album that shows Rush still has some spunk left. Well after the disappointing "Vapor Trails", especially talking about its bad mixing, being too much loud above all the distorted guitar by Lifeson , the authors of a couple of masterpieces within a couple of years - such as "A Farewell to Kings" and "Hemisphere" - return with the present "S.
It's a good album, not particularly inspired if you regard of the composition, except on the intelligent insert of a few strange instruments like a mandolin for instance, the Greek bouzouki and the Mellotrons giving their album a 70's sound Therefore their short citation concerning "YYZ" from Moving Pictures inside "The Main Monkey Business" this latter not properly equal, especially if you think of another exceptional instrumental number entitled "La Villa Strangiato"- from "Hemisphere" for example or their attempt to make a surprising dejavous in "A Far Cry", with its typical chord like within the above mentioned "Hemisphere", let me think of an old band which tries to comeback to the origin, even though failing sometimes Their attempt to make a renewal is quite intelligent, as They maintain the sound and in a certain sense the old 70's- 80's structures of the old songs as well, just a little bit at least, as a stereotype At the end their new strategy consists of two goals, in my opinion naturally: 1 Increasing their popularity 2 Let the old fans captured by a few citations of their glorious past in order to bring them into the arenas!!
Then consider their remarkable lyrics or once again the metaphor used by means of the snake and an arrow, symbolizing the fear an the violence or the tremendous aggression if you prefer , which is well transmitted by their music.
All these features, along with a good tune like "Armor And Sword or the opener mentioned above, make the present album an interesting work, even though not a must-have probably This new record from RUSH really seems like Alex's baby, at least instrumentally as Neil as usual takes care of the lyrics.
Alex is more versatile on this record then i've ever heard him before. Acoustic guitar is all over this one too, which is unusual. You know I was really reminded of "Test For Echo" with the shorter, direct songs and even the style at times. Neil's lyrics focus on war, religion and politics, many of these thoughts were derived from his tour of the U. The album cover is a disappointment for me, but not the picture on the back,or the pictures in the liner notes, all of which are probably some of the best i've ever seen like the "Test For Echo" pictures.
I wish the picture on the back was on the front cover, it's so meaningful. Alex lays down some good guitar lines. This is the only song that reminds me of "Vapor Trails". There are some beautiful mellow sections in this one as well. Check out Alex playing mandolin on the bridge. An incredible sound 2 minutes in. Some great drum passages in this one as well as mellotron. Background synths and Alex's fierce playing is fantastic!
The vocal melodies remind me of "Limbo" from "Test For Echo". This one smokes! Some scorching guitar 4 minutes in and some tribal-like drumming. Great lyrics. This is all Alex Lerxst with his 12 string guitar. Not a fan of some of the lyrics, but they are so well done. Some strings from Ben Mink too.
Mellotron too. Great tune. Some ripping guitar and encouraging lyrics. If anyone knows about perseverance it's Neil Peart. Barely 4 stars for me but I hope this will grow to a solid 4 stars.
I do find it lags later on, but then it ends well. Love the guitar. I get excited thinking about this album and that's the main thing. This one is a touch below those two in my opinion. That may change with time and listens.
What makes this album so good apart from the obvious excellent musicianship and incidentally they are really on top of their game here, is that the song writing is so good with strong melodies and inventive playing throughout. Excellent lyrics from Peart, often inspired it would seem, by his current worldview and Geddy Lee is singing extremely well. I tip my hat in particular to guitarist Alex Lifeson for his wonderful playing which is always going off where you least expect it with imaginative chord structures, riffing and a fantastic solo on Armor and Sword.
The use of Nick Raskulinecz as co- producer proves an inspired choice as the sound is powerful and clean allowing each member of the band space to shine and a vast improvement over the afore mentioned Vapor Trails. We get thirteen tracks here, three of them instrumental and all worthy of inclusion. Nothing longer than six and a half minutes but Rush learnt the art of fitting a lot of interest into shorter songs a long time ago.
With so many good tracks picking favourites is not the easiest of tasks but deserving special mention are opener Far Cry which has a very catchy hook, my favourite Lifeson guitar playing on Workin' Them Angels, the atmospheric yet powerful Spindrift and The Way the Wind Blows which starts off like Rush are going to play a Blues song before totally changing tack for another great Lifeson riff. Faithless sounds the most like the Vapor Trails material here though stronger musically. The three instrumentals are all excellent pieces with The Main Monkey Business being the best which is as good as or better than any instrumental since La Villa Strangiato including YYZ.
Hope is a nice acoustic guitar interlude midway through the album and Malignant Narcissism packs a strong punch in just over two minutes with some excellent bass work from Lee. Rush have produced an album better than I dared hope for and deserving of five stars and my album of They're old, they're just not yet retired, but does Rush still rock at the average age of 54? I like most of their albums, although I have some trouble getting into Caress of Steel and Vapor Trails , for obvious reasons obvious to those who know Rush' history that is.
The opening track Far Cry provides us with a great wall of sound - tons of Geddy's amazing bass work and many megawatts of energy from all three band members go into this track. Luckily, the band has mercy on us and slows down a bit on Armor and Sword , which is more in the vain of the s. It could have been found on Counterparts had it been written at the time.
To me, it brings recollections of Nobody's Hero and Resist. On Working them Angels an interesting mix of electric guitar and acoustic guitar shows us what Rush is about - an opinion that only gets stronger after seeing the band perform it live at Rotterdam. Too bad it gets followed by the more straight forward rocker The Larger Bowl , which has only a very brief guitar solo to distract from the long windedness of the track.
The second single from the album, Spindrift , makes up a bit for that, even if not my favourite track on the album. Helpless Dancer 9. Is It in my Head? I've Had Enough Drowned Disc 2: Minutes.
Bell Boy 2. Doctor Jimmy 3. The Rock 4. Love, Reign O'er Me 5. Band Intros 6. Who Are You? Behind Blue Eyes 8. Pinball Wizard 9. Baba O'Riley Girl of the North Country Tangled Up in Blue Make You Feel My Love Thunder on the Mountain Ballad of a Thin Man Like a Rolling Stone All Along the Watchtower Blowin' in the Wind Notes: Good audience capture with minimal crowd interference.
And I mean a lot.. But the songs, the actual music, are usually not spoken over in the middle of them. It has to be noted that italian djs are on the whole adviced to talk that much by the same record companies to prevent bootlegging. Palm Trees Seagull Dislocated Boy Driving Toward The Daylight Woke Up Dreaming Slow Train Dust Bowl Who's Been Talking Midnight Blues Joe Addresses The Audience Ballad Of John Henry Song Of Yesterday Look On Yonders Wall Blues Deluxe Young Man's Blues with Drum Solo Django - Mountain Time Encore Break E Sloe GIn E Just Got Paid Notes: The woman sitting next to me was a rather enthusiastic clapper, especially at the beginning of the show.
This was an excellent show and Joe seems to be energentic despite his problems at the hotel he mentions this after Midnight Blues. All in all a very good night. Strangely the concert was confirmed in this old square after the Emilia earthquake differently from Radiohead in Bologna and Kasabian in Ferrara that were moved from the relevant central squares.
I have located myself in front of the left stack, about 15 m from the stage. Not more people were around me and also very quiet. The sound is extremely very good. Imho one of the best recordings I have ever done.
What about the show? Stereo reception. Excellent sound. Complete broadcast. Intro Jingle Automatic Systematic Habit I Think I'm Paranoid Blood For Poppies Why Do You Love Me? Queer Special Stupid Girl Control Cherry Lips Go Baby Go! Vow Push It Only Happy When It Rains Outro Total Time: One by one Radio Gnome Tic Toc I am your Pussy Escape Control Delete Pothead Pixies Eat that Phone Book Coda set 2 Goddess Invocation Om Riff Change the World I've bin stoned before O Mother Zeroid Opium for the People Dynamite You can't kill me 2 hrs 5 mins 16 secs.
But he still has his energy and plays the hell out that flute! Musicians were spot on. You can't replace Martin Barre, but the guy stuck with trying did a hell of a job.
Long live prog rock! Cleaned and speed corrected, unaltered sound. Upgrade of the previous version that was missing the "Going Down Slow" portion. Disc 1 Immigrant Song Heartbreaker Black Dog Since I've Been Loving You Celebration Day Stairway To Heaven Going To California Moby Dick Trust Hangar 18 She-Wolf A Tout le Monde Whose Life Is It Anyways?
Public Enemy No. Skin o' My Teeth Symphony of Destruction Architecture of Aggression Forclosure of a Dream Sweating Bullets This Was My Life Countdown to Extinction High Speed Dirt Psychotron Captive Honour
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